Silver Senshi: A Rip in Time
by StarlightMichi
Summary: Set in the time of the Silver Millenium, before Beryl. Through a rip in time, an evil, unseen force has made it's way into the solar system. Warning: A whole lotta girl-girl pairings.
1. Prologue: A Rip in Time

**Title: Silver Senshi: A Rip in Time**

Author: StarlightMichi

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Prolog:

**A New Threat; The Three Soldiers Meet.**

In the dead of night, when more people where sleeping than awake, a crack was opened in the fabric of time. Two people, who just happened to be the two most important people to feel such a thing, felt it.

Pluto felt it immediately. A shift in ground, or a headache, was the best she could describe it. She knew what it was instantly, and was puzzled for a moment about how she knew such a thing. Nothing had happened like this before. Instinct, she decided. It was instinct.

The other person to feel it was Queen Serenity. She had been asleep, but the crack had torn into her dreams. Darkness had escaped, and it's evil wrapped around her like a blanket. She woke up in a sweat. Who, or what, had done such a thing?

_Pluto_ she said instantly, reaching for the senshi of time with her mind.

_I felt it,_ Pluto replied. She was uneasy, shifting her weight from foot to foot at the front of her door. _What should I do?_

_Gather Neptune and Uranus, bring them here. We must talk about this._

* * *

**Tenohsei**

The day was fresh, and young, and promising to be beautiful. Uranus breathed deeply, filling her lungs with fresh, cool morning air. She couldn't help but grin as she gazed over her planet. It was beautiful, and she was rightfully proud of it.

Perhaps she'd go fly today. She had not gone out for a few days and was getting restless. Walking back into her room from her balcony, Uranus picked up the simple shirt and breeches that she normally wore. Her mother had always preferred her in dresses, but Uranus only wore them for formal occasions. What was the point, she'd argued, when there was no one around to see her anyways?

Her thoughts were interrupted but a loud cracking sound. Uranus fell over backwards as Pluto stepped forwards out of thin air.

"What are you doing here!" the wind-senshi demanded, instantly on the defense. While she would recognize another Sailor Senshi anywhere, that did not give them permission to just appear in her room!

"Uranus, I'm sorry for startling you. I've been sent to take you, and Neptune, to the Moon. Queen Serenity is in need of your service."

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**Kaiohsei**

Neptune dived, submerging herself into the crystal clear waters of her planet. She dove deep, loving the feel of the cool water along her skin and delighting at the change in hue as she swam deeper. Swimming was so much better than sitting, she decided as she let a current pull her along. She turned over so that she could look upwards, through the water to the sky. She nearly choked on a mouthful of water when she saw two figures floating above her. She surfaced quickly, spitting out a mouthful of water.

"Neptune. I've been sent to take you and Uranus to the Moon. Queen Serenity's order." Pluto left no time for Neptune to ask questions. The aqua haired princess nodded her head, and Pluto lifted her up, out of the water. Neptune caught the glance of, who she assumed to be, Uranus and grinned to herself as the sandy-haired soldier blushed and looked away.

"Can I dress first?" she asked Pluto. Nudity had never bothered her, and this was the first time anyone else had been around when she'd gone swimming. At Pluto's nod, the trio were taken to Neptune's palace. A change of cloths later, they vanished for the Moon.

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**Moon Kingdom**

Queen Serenity fluffed up her dress with a quick shake of her wrist. The white silk smoothed itself and fell into place, allowing the queen to hurry along the hallway without gathering wrinkles. It was almost noon, which meant the halls were nearly empty as most people headed to the dining hall for lunch. She passed one or two guards, who politely nodded their heads.

It had become apparent that morning that she and Pluto where the only two to feel the crack in time. The people acted the same, and except for the constant nagging feeling of Evil, all was as it had been the day before.

Serenity stopped as she reached the meeting room door. She heard muffled voices on the other side and smiled. 'Good,' she thought 'Pluto, Neptune and Uranus are already there.' Without another pause, she opened the door, stepped into the pearly white room, and shut the opening behind her.

"I'm sorry for the abrupt and unusual summoning," she started, not bothering to acknowledge the three bows given to her by her soldiers. There was no time for pleasantries.

"Pluto undoubtedly explained why you're here?" she asked. At two slow nods, she glanced at Pluto.

"I told them what I know. That I felt a crack in time." Serenity nodded. So, Pluto didn't feel the evil either.

"Last night, about three hours before dawn, there was a crack in time. This, itself, is cause for alarm. More threatening is the evil that seemed to have resulted. I feel it. I do not know if anyone else does, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that it is there, and it is more powerful than anything I've yet felt."

She held up her hand, stopping Uranus as she'd opened her mouth. "No. Please wait for me to finish." Uranus nodded her head, looking a bit sheepish, and sank back into a chair. Neptune, also, sat down but Pluto remained standing.

"Normally, I would not summon you three. Serenity's four soldiers are perfectly competent at taking care of any threat to this kingdom. But, like I said, this is much stronger than anything I've felt before. What's more, it came through Time. It can therefore be assumed that this new Evil can use time at it's will." She shook her head slowly. "I know nothing about this Evil, only that it is there. I don't know if it means to attack, or just reside wherever it came out too. However, I want you three here, training, and preparing yourself for a fight that might come."

With a small intake of breath, Serenity nodded her head to show that she was finished. Uranus looked confident, and a bit jumpy, Neptune looked thoughtful and concerned, and Pluto stood looking serene. Only the small twitching of her fingers on her staff showed that the senshi of Time was worried.

"Serenity-sama," Neptune asked softly. "What of Serenity's four soldiers? Shouldn't they be alerted as well?"

Uranus snorted, rolling her eyes. "Why alert them? We can take care of this ourselves. If this Evil attacks, we can take care of it before the rest of the Kingdom even knows what happened." 

Neptune frowned, clearly unhappy with this answer. "I disagree. Serenity-sama said that this threat was more powerful than any she'd felt. What if our power is not enough? If we're killed trying to fight this new evil, there will be nothing to stand between it and the Moon. As you said, we're stronger than Venus, Mars, Mercury and Jupiter, which means if it can kill us…" she let her sentence trail off, allowing the others to fill in the end.

Pluto looked towards Serenity with question in her eyes, but Serenity was focused on Uranus. The wind-soldier was clearly unmoved.

"They'll get in our way. Have you see them? Giggly-girls with little thought to their duties. They're soft from living life like normal girls. If we fought with them, they'd run and cry the minute someone got hurt."

"That's a little harsh, don't you think?" Neptune asked, her voice still soft, but it's tone hardened a bit. "They're soldiers just like us. They deserve to know so that they, too, can defend the world they live in. It's their right as living creatures, and especially as Senshi."

"Enough!" Serenity said sternly as Uranus opened her mouth, clearly ready to shout something rather insulting towards the aqua-haired woman. Her face red with surpressed anger, Uranus drummed her fingers on the table restlessly. She was obediently quite as Serenity spoke.

"We'll vote. Pluto, Uranus, Neptune. Those in favor of telling my daughter's guardians, raise your hand please."

Neptune rose her hand instantly, looking pointedly towards Serenity and ignore Uranus' angry glare altogether. After a moment, Pluto lifted her hand as well. She looked confident, though she avoided the wind-senshi's gaze.

"It's settled. We'll tell Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus." Uranus' growl of anger was halted at the Queen's look. "This meeting is over for now. All of the information spoken of is strictly confidential. No one is to know about the crack in Time, nor the Evil that I feel, understood? I will not have a panic sweep through my kingdom." As each Senshi nodded her head, Serenity stood.

"I declare this meeting over."

_End Prolog_

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**A.N.:** So, what do you think? Silver Senshi originally started out as a play-through-email game. It never really got started, but I love the theme so much that I decided to write a Fan Fic! I have a long way to go with this story, and I hope you enjoyed it! Comments very welcome. Flames will be ignored.

p.s. This was a first-time copy, which means it has only been spot-edited for grammar/spelling.


	2. Meeting Serenity’s Guardians: A Tense T...

**Chapter One: Meeting Serenity's Guardians: A Tense Talk**

Author: StarlightMichi

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Word traveled around the palace quickly, and it wasn't an hour before all four of Serenity's guardians knew of the three mysterious senshi. Venus was the first to hear of them, and had quickly gathered Mars, Jupiter and Mercury to tell them what she knew.

"I heard they're meeting in Serenity-sama's pearl chamber," Venus hissed to Mars. The raven-haired senshi rolled her eyes. "And I suppose you want to go eavesdrop on them, hmm?" she asked knowingly as Venus tried her best to look innocent.

"If Serenity-sama wanted us to know what was going on, she would have told us to attend the meeting," Mercury pointed out, matter-of-factly. Jupiter was a bit silent, though the gleam in her eye made Venus hopeful.

"It's our duty! As Princess Serenity's guardians, we should know all that takes place in the palace," Venus declared, looking feisty. Mars couldn't help but grin. "_Now_ she takes an interest in our duty!"

The four hurried down the hall way, slipping easily through the lunch-bound crowd to arrive in front of the door to the fabled Pear Chamber. The door was sealed tight, as was to be expected, but that didn't stop Venus from pressing her ear against it's smooth panel.

"Try to be a more obvious, Venus," Mars said sarcastically, "I don't think that maid know's your listening." Venus ignored her, eyes unfocused as she concentrated on listening.

"We shouldn't be doing this…" Mercury said, worry in her tone. The blue-haired guardian shifted her weight from foot to foot, clearly nervouse.

"Shhh! I can't hear a thing!" Venus' tongue was sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she tried to listen. Mars, rolling her eyes again, couldn't help but look a little interested. She leaned towards the door, trying not to look obvious but failing. Jupiter snickered a bit as Mercury chewed her lip in worry.

"It isn't right!" Mercury hissed. Jupiter gave her friend a sly smile. "Then why are you hear, Mercury-san?" Mercury blushed bright red and quickly shut her mouth. The four were silent, Venus pressed against the door, Mars trying to look normal as she strained to hear, Jupiter and Mercury hanging back, though both intent on the door.

"I think I hear something…" Venus said, excitement in her voice.

"Me too," said Mars. "It sounds almost like.. yelling." The pair didn't have long to think this over, for a half second later they found themselves falling into the room as the door gave way.

"Oof!" Venus cried, landing heavily on the tiled floor as Mars crashed ontop of her. Mercury froze, looking petrified while Jupiter just looked sheepish.

Queen Serenity gazed down at them, disapproval in her eyes. Behind her stood the three strange senshi. The aqua-haired woman looked at them with a mixture of guilt while the tall short-haired woman looked a bit smug, though mostly annoyed. Pluto stood solid, unmoving, though the corner of her mouth twitched and her eyes twinkled.

"See! I told you. Giggling girls with nothing better to do than play games." Uranus crossed her arms over her chest, clearly looking smug as she turned towards Neptune. For her part, the sea-senshi said nothing. She simply walked past Venus and Mars and down the hall, not glancing back.

"Hey!" shouted Uranus. Her skin prickled as Neptune ignored her and she, too, left in a huff, pointedly taking the opposite direction. Venus and Mars stood, dusting themselves off as they looked at the floor. Both blushed furiously as Serenity stared at them.

"I would expect better of my daughter's guardians," she said, her voice soft as normal. Venus and Mars blushed harder. "You four," Serenity started again. "You will meet with Pluto and I tonight for some important news." With that, the queen left as well, heading serenely down the hall towards the Dining Room.

Pluto was the last to leave. She gave the four guardians a swift glance with a hint of a smile, and followed Serenity.

"Well," started Mars, breaking the silence. "That was fun."

_End Chapter Two_

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A.N: Yea, I know the chapters are short. But I'm not good with long chapters! Forgive me ::bows::


	3. A Private Musing: Settling in

**Chapter Two: A Private Musing; Settling in**

Author: StarlightMichi

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After the meeting, Neptune wandered through the halls of the Palace. She massaged her forehead with her fingertips, desperately trying to sooth a way a growing headache. She had been on the Moon for less than an hour and had already had more than enough conflict. The meeting hadn't gone at all like she'd expected.

From the beginning, Neptune had known it was serious: There was no other reason for Serenity to summon her, Uranus, and Pluto to the Moon if it hadn't been serious. What she hadn't expected was Uranus to be so stubborn.

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the other senshi as she felt her head throb. "If I don't find something else to think about, I'll really have a pain," she said to herself, now massaging with both sets of fingers.

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Uranus was having similar thoughts, although opposite views. She knew the seriousness of the situation, but stuck by her initial reaction: Serenity's guardians weren't ready. They were too silly to be useful. "And if Neptune can't see it, then I pity her," she muttered darkly.

Uranus wasn't used to 'living with' decisions made by other people. She was used to being the boss. It was her way, or no way, and it had been for a long time. Playing nice with two new senshi didn't seem like much fun anymore; Especially with giddy-girly-girls around to get in the way.

"And I thought she was nice," she muttered again, remembering her first impression of the sea-senshi. A flush rose to her cheeks and she quickly banished the thought of Neptune in the ocean. This was no time to get distracted, she told herself sternly. There was serious business to attend to! But first, her stomach.

Looking around eagerly, Uranus asked for directions to the dining hall, and set of briskly.

* * *

"Well, that was a fine mess, wasn't it?" Jupiter stated as the four soldiers entered the dining hall. Venus still wore a flushed look, and Mars' jaw was set against embarrassment.

"I told you…"Mercury started, but she quickly stopped at the death-glare that Mars sent her. Venus sighed as she slumped into their favorite table. "Well, we did learn something," she stated. At the puzzled look on the other girls faces, she continued.

"We learned that there's something so important happening, Serenity-sama has summoned three other senshi to the palace. What?!" Mercury, Jupiter and Mars all stared at her incredulously.

"Venus… I think you just said something…smart!" Jupiter hastily ducked a chunk of cheese tossed towards her, laughing happily.

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"Pluto, you'll be rooming down the main corridor, just left of Venus and Mars. It's a small room, but it'll do for you, I'm sure." Queen Serenity and Pluto stood outside of the garden, talking in soft voices after their lunch. It was Pluto that had politely reminded the queen that the three new senshi needed places to sleep.

"As for Uranus and Neptune…" Serenity looked puzzled. "Unfortunately, with the Earth's council meeting here for a few days, and Endymion's guardians needing rooms, we're a bit short on acceptable placements for Princesses." Pluto raised an eyebrow as she noticed a glitter in Serenity's eye.

"Here's what we'll do…"

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Stretching, Neptune looked around the room assigned to her. It was about half the size of her suite on Kaiohsei, but comfortable. It was by no means small. A vanity table sat on the far right wall with a small mirror, and two beds placed near each other offered amble seating and resting places. Neptune's favorite part was the balcony overlooking the gardens.

With a small, content sigh, Neptune began to look through the drawers of a small wardrobe. It was fully stocked, she had noticed, and among her own dress, contained a small assortment of nightgowns, comfortable day-dresses, and slippers.

She could use a shower, she thought, reaching up to touch her hair. She hadn't had the chance to rinse before Pluto took them to the Moon, and her hair was a bit stiff from the salt dried upon it. Leafing through the clothes, Neptune selected a small, casual cream dress and laid it on the bed. She stepped into the side room that contained a small tub for washing, and turned the glass knobs which made a small waterfall cascade from the side of the marble. Her tub filled fast, and she happily slipped in to soak.

* * *

Her stomach full, Uranus set off to find her room for the duration of her stay on the Moon. She would have been happy with a bed in a closet, both Queen Serenity and Pluto both seemed to demand that she stay in one of the royal suites. No matter, she'd thought. A bed in a closet, or a bed in a room of marble it was the same. A bed was a bed, and right now, Uranus felt like she needed a nap.

She found the room with little trouble and after fumbling with the funny door handles for a moment, made her way inside. The sun was in the right position to cast light through the tall glass windows, and the room was aglow with a soft radiance. "Maybe this _is_ nicer than a closet…" Uranus said to herself, smiling a bit. There was plenty of room, and Uranus was debating whether she should undress, or just sleep in her clothes, when there was a small clicking noise from the other end of the room.

Neptune stood with her towel around her, just staring at Uranus. Her hair hung over her shoulders, the ends still dripping lightly on the tiled floor. Water still clung in beads along her shoulders, cheeks and eyelashes, catching the light and glittering like hundreds of tiny diamonds.

Uranus just stood, her eyes wide and her mouth falling open in to a small 'o'.

"Can I help you?" Neptune asked, her cold voice breaking Uranus out of her haze. Clearing her throat, the wind-senshi straightened her shoulders. "Yea. You can tell me what you're doing in my room."

Neptune blinked. "Excuse me? _Your_ room?" She asked, lifting a slender eyebrow to give a piercing look towards the blonde. "I believe this is my room. You must be lost. Leave. Now."

Well, that was rude! Thought Uranus, frowning. "Obviously this is _my_ room or I wouldn't be here!" she remarked tartly.

Before Neptune could open her mouth to reply, there was a small knock on the door. Both heads turned towards it and shouted "What!" glaring at each other afterwards. Pluto's voice met their ears, a bit of humor in her normal calm.

"I just wanted to make sure you both found the room alright." Uranus stiffened, not liking the sound of that.

"Pluto," Neptune asked, her voice back to it's calm, soothing tone. "Whose room is this, anyways?"

There was definite amusement in her voice now. "Both of yours. You're sharing it." Uranus' mouth dropped and she glared at the closed door.

"What do you mean, 'both of yours'!! There's no way I'm sharing a room with her!" Neptune frowned and walked to the bed, leaving a small trail of droplets in her wake. Pluto didn't answer, and both senshi took that as a sign that she'd left. Uranus stomped over to the second bed and flopped on it, curling onto her side and staring at the wall. Neptune sighed softly and picked up her dress, retreating to the side room to finish drying and dressing.

Uranus lay pretending to be asleep, as she pretended to ignore Neptune. Hard as she tried, the image of the dripping aqua-haired woman wouldn't leave her mind. Ever little noise that came from the other side of the room made Uranus jump slightly, wide-awake. If this was how it was going to be living with the sea-senshi, Uranus was going to be a very tired woman.

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A.N. So, chapter Two is done. What do you guys think so far? Please leave reviews! 


	4. Lovers Quarrels: The Senshi Mingle

**Chapter Three: Lovers Quarrels; The Senshi Mingle**

Author: StarlightMichi

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Morning dawned crystal clear. Though she didn't know why, Neptune had always assumed that dawn on the Moon would be different from dawn on Kaiohsei. She rolled onto her side, forgetting for a moment that she was now sharing a room. The lumpy form of Uranus on the other bed caught her off guard, but only for a moment. Neptune stared at the back of her golden head, trying to decide how she should feel. Though she wanted to feel angry at the other senshi, she just couldn't. Besides, it wasn't in her nature to be upset for long.

Neptune lay for a long time, just thinking. She wasn't sure if she was required to get up or not, and it felt good to lounge. She stared at the ceiling, reviewing the events of the day before in her mind. She took a deep breath, then rolled out of bed and stood up. Uranus didn't move a muscle, and Neptune squinted her eyes towards the other form. Either she was a really heavy sleeper, or a really good actress. Shaking her head, Neptune walked to the wardrobe. Though she was still irked at the other senshi, Neptune did her best to make as little noise as possible.

Selecting a comfortable dress, Neptune slipped out of her nightgown, dressed, and left the room, her stomach rumbling for breakfast.

Uranus, contrary to belief, was actually both a light sleeper, and a terrible actress. She was, however, a very good lounger. She had awoken when Neptune had, but had remained still, preferring to stare at the wall and pretend she was a rock to rolling over and letting the other woman know she was alert. The sound of Neptune's nightgown falling had startled Uranus, and she was still recovering from the shock of knowing that Neptune had changed barely five feet away from her. Shaking her head as she heard the door close, Uranus turned over to stare at the other wall.

Unfortunately, the wall was painfully similar to her own. With a grunt, Uranus sat up, shaking her head to toss her bangs out of her eyes. They were getting long. She decided she should get them cut soon. She stood, stretched, and looked at her wrinkled clothes. There was no way she was wearing a dress, she decided. Rummaging through what she hopped was her wardrobe she found a nice shirt and pair of loose pants.

Dressed and ready to go, Uranus headed out of the room, intent on breakfast as well.

======

"Venus, you're out of your mind, do you know that?" Mars popped a piece of pear into her mouth, chewing intently as she stared at the blonde senshi.

"What's so crazy about it?" Venus demands, pouting a little as she stirs her hot chocolate.

"Did you listen to yourself?" Mars shook her head, swallowing her mouthful. "You think she's a _guy_, Venus! You, of all people, should know this isn't true." Venus pouted, her lower lip sticking out and making Mars grin. "You look about ten years younger when you do that…" her comment only made Venus pout more.

"Well, we'll see who's right!" Mars arched an eyebrow at Venus' challenging words, and watched in wonder as the senshi of love and beauty stood, and walked off to the door, a swing in her hips that made the raven-haired girl narrow her eyes and look towards Venus' target. She groaned inwardly as she spotted Uranus. If she knew what was good for her, the tall woman would run.

"Are you lost?" The sultry voice made Uranus raise an eyebrow as she glanced towards Venus. Recognizing her from the previous day, a scowl was halfway to her face when she decided against it. Instead, she smiled and replied, "not lost, really. Just looking for breakfast."

"I can help you with that," Venus assured her, expertly twining her arm into Uranus' as she leads her towards the buffet table. "They usually serve breakfast like this, and you chose what you wish to eat." Her flirty tone made Uranus grin, and almost laugh. It was humorous more than effective, but Uranus let the other girl lead her forwards.

"So," Venus asked as she steered Uranus towards a table once she had her plate, "Are you seeing anyone?" Her words made Uranus choke on a piece of bread as she stared at Venus with wide eyes.

"Ex…excuse me? _Seeing_ anyone?" Uranus stared at Venus, torn between laughing and choking again. Venus batted her eyes at Uranus, and gave the senshi her most charming smile. Even Uranus wasn't immune to her charm, and though the taller girl found her rather immature and giggly, she couldn't help but smile a bit. Besides, Uranus wasn't one to pass up flirting.

Well, this was enough! Mars strode over, an angry, flushed look on her face. She wrapped her fingers around the top of Venus' arm and pulled. "Excuse us," she hissed towards Uranus, not looking the least bit interested in the taller senshi's thoughts. "Venus, I need to talk to you." She pulled the blonde away, Venus protesting the fierceness.

Uranus furrowed her eyebrows at the pair, shrugged, and decided to enjoy her breakfast.

=======

Neptune poked at the food on her plate. She wasn't quite sure what the cream-colored, fluffy stuff was and had been hesitant to try it all morning. With a bit of a grimace, she lifted a bit to her lips, and tasted it cautiously.

"They're called 'potatoes'. They're from Earth." Neptune glanced up, meeting the eyes of a tall, brown-haired woman who smiled. "Potatoes?" Neptune asked, looking down at her plate.

"Well, these ones have been pounded into a sort of pasty-fluffy substance," Jupiter took a seat across from Neptune at the aqua-haired woman's inviting gesture. "They're not too bad, if you add a bit of salt." Neptune frowned, and Jupiter picked up a small ceramic bowl, sprinkling its contents lightly atop the potatoes. "Salt. It's also from Earth."

They sat discussing the foreign foods brought to them by Endymion's cooks, and Neptune sampled a few more things on her plate. By the end of the meal, she knew she liked 'potatoes' but didn't care much for 'banana's'.

It was strange, she thought as she walked down the hall, how different things are on other planets. Though she knew her summoning here was serious, she couldn't help but be a little excited at the prospect of learning a new culture. Maybe she'd even get a chance to talk to Endymion's guardians from Earth.

The sound of splashing halted her thoughts, and she turned to face a large glass door. The light shone through it's frosted panes, and Neptune couldn't quite make out what was behind it. Carefully, she turned the golden handle and opened the door. Beyond it was a very large courtyard, rather oddly shaped, in her mind, with a deep pool of water in the middle of it. A fountain nearby, which fed the pool via a small stream, was the source of the splashing she'd heard.

"Oh!" A startled voice said behind her. "I didn't realize anyone else was here." Neptune turned and greeted Mercury, who stood with a soft towel in her arms. "I usually go for a swim in the afternoons, it helps to relax me."

"Can anyone swim?" Neptune asked, eyeing the pool with suppressed delight. Though she'd only been gone for a day, she already missed her ocean swims terribly. While this crystal-clear pool was hardly worthy of comparison, it would make a nice compromise while she was on the Moon.

Mercury nodded, and led Neptune to a small side room that held towels for swimmers to borrow. With a few quick words of apology, Mercury hurried off to an important meeting—Neptune guessed it was to discuss what she, Pluto and Uranus already knew—and left the sea-senshi on her own.

With a content smile, Neptune sank into the water.

====

After the meeting with Queen Serenity, the soldiers on the moon met in the garden to talk about what they'd heard. All four were quite humbled by the news, and Venus looked especially worried.

"Well, now we know what that secret meeting was about," Jupiter said, trying to fill the silence. It was hard, since she herself was rather nervous. Mercury and Mars nodded their heads in distracted agreement.

"We need to train harder." Three heads turned to look at Venus, surprised. "If there's something so horrible out there at Serenity-sama summoned Pluto, Uranus and Neptune, that means she's really worried about it. We need to train harder. We've been lazy."

Mars nodded her head in agreement, while Jupiter voiced a soft "Yes, definitely."

"Uranus called us… what did she say? Oh, 'a bunch of giggling girls'. I don't want that to be true." Venus looked like she was ready to pout, though her tone was completely serious.

"We should start tomorrow," Mercury added, looking towards the other three for agreement. "Tomorrow morning, right here in the gardens before anyone else is awake. There's plenty of room, and it's far enough away from the housing area's that no one will wake up." Three heads bobbed yes as Mercury eyed the group.

"Alright, tomorrow morning, an hour after dawn." With that, the group dispersed, each ones head full of important thoughts.

======

Pluto tapped her fingers idly against her time staff. She was standing on the balcony above the rear of the palace, looking far into space in the general direction of her home planet. Her eyes held a distant look, and she frowned to herself.

There hadn't been a single disturbance since the first rip in time. While most would take this as a good sign, it made Pluto uneasy. It meant that whoever, or whatever, had caused the first rip was still here. They could be plotting. They could be on their way as she stood there thinking. Her fingers tightened around the cylindrical base, her knuckles white.

A soft hand on her shoulder made her jump, and she turned to look into concerned blue eyes.

"I'm worried too," Neptune said, removing her hand from Pluto to set both gently on the marble railing in front of her. "I feel uneasy, but I don't know why." She stared across the grounds, watching people mingle in the archways between the expansive gardens. They were all so cheerful, she noted. Why couldn't she be that happy?

"I just wish I knew more." Pluto's voice broke into her thoughts. The normally serene and confident tone that accompanied the soldier of time was wavered, and tight. It made Neptune all the more uneasy. Stoic, solid Pluto was worried.

"There's nothing we can do now but keep our guard up," Neptune said, trying to find confidence in the fact that there was nothing outwardly wrong around them. It didn't help. She'd much rather see whatever evil they had to face, than know that it hid in the shadows, out of their sight.

Pluto nodded her head in silent agreement, and the pair stood silently, watching below them. A flutter of skirts caught Neptune's eye, and she turned to the right. She watched as the Princess of the Moon, Serenity, entered the gardens. It was the first time that Neptune had seen the princess, and she knew at once that the rumors of her beauty were true. Even from such a distance, the grace with which she moved conveyed her royalty. Her hair flowed in long silver waves from two buns atop her head. The white of her gown was only slightly lighter than her hair, and shimmered with a pear-like quality that mimicked the tiny pears she wore in her hair.

"The princess is out," noted Pluto. Neptune glanced towards the other woman, confused by the humor in her voice. "Is that unusual?" she asked the time-senshi. Pluto smiled and shook her head.

"No, but just watch." Neptune did so. Serenity seemed rather certain in the path she was taking. Her steps neither wavered, nor slowed as she made her way through the twisting garden path. Neptune was fortunate in that the balcony was high enough to see over the hedges. It was easy to follow the path of the princess.

"Who is that?" she asked, as Serenity met up with an armored man hear a fountain.

"That is Endymion of Earth. Serenity's been meeting with him in the gardens for a week." At Neptune's puzzled look, Pluto smiled. "I spoke with Serenity's guardian, Mercury, earlier today. She told me that Serenity has been meeting Endymion every day since he and his guardians arrived for the Council."

"Does Serenity-sama know?" Neptune asked, referring to Queen Serenity, naturally. At the shake of Pluto's head, Neptune frowned. Something was definitely not good about this situation.

As she watched, Serenity and Endymion slipped through a secret door, out of view of the two senshi. "Should we tell her…?" Pluto shook her head. "Serenity-sama has enough to worry about right now. Besides, there's no harm in a little romance." Neptune couldn't help but smile at that. She had to agree that seeing Serenity with Endymion—both had looked quite blissful at the time—was light heartening. Maybe they weren't supposed to be meeting, but what harm could they possibly do?

Neptune turned to go, leaving Pluto alone on the balcony once more.

_The End Chapter Three_

====

**A.N.** Well, I'm not quite sure if I like this chapter or not. Please Review it for me, and let me know what you think? I may end up changing it.


	5. Personal Habits: A Deeper Look at the S...

**Chapter Four: Personal Habits: A Deeper Look at the Senshi**

Author: StarlightMichi

====

Venus pouted as she watched Mars stomp about the room. "Why are you being so grumpy, you started it." Mars turned and shot her a glare from the corner of her purple eyes. "I did not start _anything_," she stated calmly, marching herself over to the farthest corner of the room and plunking herself into the large chaise located there.

Venus' pout turned into a real frown. Had she really upset Mars? That hadn't been her intent, not at all! She was flirty by nature, and the soldier of war should know that—and she did. Maybe she did lay it on a bit strong towards Uranus, but why did it upset Mars so much?

"Mars…" she started, standing near the door. She hadn't moved from that spot when they'd returned to the room. Mars glanced her way, and her expression softened a bit. She beckoned Venus to her with an outstretched arm, and the golden girl hurried over, kneeling in front of Mars and laying her head in her lap.

"I didn't mean it. You know that…" Mars smiled softly and bent to give Venus a soft kiss on her forehead. "I do. But did you have to be so…"she didn't finish. Venus picked her head up and looked at Mars, her eyes full of apology. Mars couldn't help but grin. She tweaked Venus' nose. "Don't look so serious all of the time, it worries me."

Venus grinned, flashing her normal smile again. "Well, you were overly serious, and I didn't want to make you madder." She walked her fingers playfully across the raven-haired girls knee, making her twitch. She flashed a devilish grin up at Mars, and the other girl shivered a bit.

Mars hadn't been really upset with Venus. Sometimes she over did the jealous act, she knew. It was selfish, but making up with Venus was always a passionate experience. As the pair lay together, Mars ran her fingers caressingly through the blonde's hair as the other slept. She couldn't express in words how Venus made her feel. She knew she'd never be complete without the senshi of love and beauty by her side. She smiled down at her as she drew the thin sheet around their bodies.

"I love you, Venus," she murmured, kissing the girls golden hair gently. Venus shifted in her sleep, and smiled contently. Mars sighed, letting sleep come over her.

====

As the days passed, Serenity's four guardians were true to their word. Each morning, they met in the dawn light to practice and train together. It had been glaringly clear to the four that they were out of shape. Venus hadn't been able to hit her target after four attempts, and she wasn't the only one. Each girl sported lightly chared hair after Mars misdirected one of her attacks—meant for the fountain, where the water would dispel it. Of the four, Mercury did the best. They accused her of studying in secret, and she blushingly confessed.

But now as time had worn on, each girl saw the improvement in her skills. Venus could hit anything, moving or not, with her whip. Mars had enough control over her fire that she could etch designs in a piece of wood no wider than her finger, and Jupiter's lightning gave them wonderful backgrounds to work with. Mercury, after the first day, had kept mostly to the background, offering advice but doing little offensive work herself. The other three didn't really mind this. It was her way.

As Jupiter slumped onto a bench, exhausted after her training, she watched Mercury a few paces away. The water-senshi was watching Venus and Mars spar playfully with each other, each throwing, dodging, and blocking in turn. When she turned and caught Jupiter's eye, she blushed a bit and walked over, perching herself next to the taller girl.

"We're doing pretty well, huh?" Jupiter asked, watching Mars and Venus. Mercury nodded her agreement, sitting comfortably. "We've improved a lot, but we could do a lot better." Jupiter rolled her eyes and playfully tugged on Mercury's ear. "Silly-senshi. Not everything needs to be serious." Mercury's cheeks flushed a bit which only made Jupiter grin wider.

Mars and Venus finished their sparring and came to collapse near Jupiter, both opting for the cushioning grass of the garden's floor. Mars sat, and Venus promptly snuggled into her lap, making Mars grimace. All of them, except Mercury, were sweating greatly.

"What do you think of the new senshi, now that they've been here a while?" Venus asked, peering up at Jupiter thoughtfully. The brunette nibbled her lower lip for a moment before replying. "Well, I'm not sure I trust them. We don't know anything about them. Why haven't we met them before?"

Mars nodded her head a bit. "They really haven't made an attempt to talk to us, either," she noted, frowning at Venus. "Well, it's true! They haven't made an attempt to befriend us." Venus was giving her an accusing look, but turned to look at Mercury instead. The fourth girl was a bit slower in answering, and her reply was timid.

"I think… I think they're trustworthy. Serenity trusts them, so why shouldn't we? And they seem strong…"

"But we don't know anything about them for certain," Mars pointed out, giving Venus a gentle push. The golden girl moved off her lap, claiming a patch of green for herself. "I like them well enough. From what I've seen of Uranus, she's nice enough." Mars rolled her eyes. "You spend enough time hanging on her arm to know." At Venus' pout, Mars gave her a quick smile to show she wasn't hurt, and continued. "But seriously, maybe we should talk with them? I want to find out what their thoughts are."

"Maybe we should invite them to train with us? What!?" Venus glared at the other three, who were looking at her with wide eyes. "Why shouldn't they train with us! Honestly! Mercury, I thought you were on my side." She stuck out her lower lip, but when it didn't get much response, returned to normal.

"I said I thought they were trust worthy, but train with them? Maybe… but it might be a bit…straightforward." Mercury looked on with concern. It was true that they knew little about the other three senshi. And Mercury had liked the idea of the four of them training every morning. It was like their own private thing, something special that was only theirs. Inviting three new people—especially three people they didn't know—seemed somehow wrong.

"Well, we don't have to decide anything now. And maybe after the meeting today things will be more comfortable. Venus, I think we should do as you're doing, and get to know them. I talked with Neptune briefly, and she seemed nice enough." Mercury blinked at Jupiter, and the taller girl tilted her head.

"When did you…" but Mercury didn't finish, and no one asked her about it. Their conversation turned to much more cheerful matters, as Venus began to describe the latest meetings of Serenity and Endymion.

====

Princess Serenity glanced both was as she slipped out into the garden. It was noon, which meant most people were eating lunch, but there were always a couple or two wandering the gardens—and she did not want to be caught.

Since she and Endymion had started to meet in secret over two weeks ago, Serenity had been constantly on guard. At first she'd jumped at any little noise, certain it was her mother or one of her guardians come to take her away. As time passed, she'd become more relax in her meetings, going so far as to let their unions be in the open before slipping away into the small hidden tunnel under the gardens. But one thing she always did was check to make sure no one saw her leave the palace.

The coast was clear, and she was off, into the maze of the gardens. She picked up her skirts, walking as swiftly as she dared. Those few people wandering around gave her a glance, but at her swift smile, they merely bowed their heads and went on their way.

At last she was by the fountain, their normal meeting place. Serenity was usually the first to arrive, but today she was delighted to see that Endymion had beaten her to it. Her face lit up as she saw him, and she skipped the last few steps to throw her arms around him from behind.

The motion startled the prince, and he turned swiftly. He smiled brilliantly when he saw her though, but his eyes were worried. "What if…" he started, but she silenced him with a small grin.

"No one saw," she reassured, letting him go. The pair slipped behind the bush, then down the stairs to the wide tunnel below. It was a long, narrow hallway of marble, obviously done with care though Serenity had found it by accident. She wasn't even sure if her mother knew it existed. It suited her needs perfectly, though. As soon as they were out of sight, Endymion bent and kissed Serenity, meeting her passionately. Their unions were every day, but still he found them to be painfully far apart. He hated not seeing when he wanted, and it was utterly unbearable to see her seated across from him in the Council, unable to speak to her freely.

Serenity snuggled into his arms after their kiss, fitting herself perfectly against him. He breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of her hair and light perfume. It made him giddy, as if his cares were gone. With a sinking feeling, he tugged her away from him, looking into her eyes. He had something important to tell her.

Serenity knew instantly that something serious was happening. As she looked into the face of the man she'd come to love, questions rose to her lips. He halted them with a finger, and led her down the hall to the small sitting room at the end.

"Something serious has happened," he said as she sank into one of the oversized chairs. He came to rest next to her and took her hand in his, unable to bear being out of contact with her.

"My guardians inform me that there's something in this solar system that shouldn't be. They noticed it a few days ago, and felt they should tell me. They don't know what it is, only that it is unusual, and out of place. They're worried that it's a threat to us."

Serenity frowned. "If there was a threat, my mother would know about it. She hasn't said anything…" but she stopped at his look. "Maybe she does know, and doesn't want you to worry? Maybe she knows as little as we do." She frowned, concern evident in her face and he swept her into his arms, nuzzling his nose against her hair.

"I'm telling you only so you are prepared. It's probably nothing, but…if it is something, I want you prepared," he murmured, his words slightly slurred against her head. She breathed deeply, feeling completely safe in his grasp. "I'll be prepared," she said softly.

====

It was midnight, and silence had swept over the palace and its occupants. In their beds, Uranus and Neptune slept. The light, reflected back from the earth, pooled in a small puddle by the window.

The air was still, the doors to the balcony shut against the chill of night air on the moon. Neptune slept uneasily, tossing and turning and straining at her sheets. She sweated, her hair plastered to her forehead and neck. Several times she kicked off the sheets, only to shiver violently and pull them around her once more. She jerked once, then sat upright, screaming silently.

For several minutes, she sat, breathing heavily, clutching the sheets in a death grip. Her eyes were wide, staring unseeingly into the dark of the bedroom. It was too hot, too stale in here. Quickly, she rose and hastily made her way to the doors of the balcony. She flung them open, letting a rush of cold air in. It blew around her, swiftly drying her sweaty form. She stepped out onto the marble, uncaring that it was several degrees below comfortable and she wore nothing but a simple satin nightgown. She wanted—needed—to be outside.

Once there, she placed her hands against the ice-cold surface of the marble railing, staring into the depths of the palace grounds, covered in shadows. Her breathing was swift and jagged, as if she couldn't catch it, and she gulped at the air as if drowning. She wasn't even aware she was shivering until a warm blanket was curled around her.

Startled, she looked around and into the face of Uranus, who stood beside her. The taller senshi quickly took a step back, afraid of Neptune's wrath, but it didn't come. The aqua haired senshi just turned and stared back out at the scene before her.

Uranus had awoken at the cold. Shivering in her bed, she'd opened her eyes to find Neptune's place empty and the balcony doors wide open. Fear had gripped her violently for a moment until she'd seen the delicate figure on the balcony. Uranus didn't pay any attention to this seemingly irrational fear. Whatever ailed Neptune hadn't ailed her, and she'd been smart enough to dress warmly.

Taking a blanket, she'd approached the sea-senshi and carefully wrapped it around her, having seen her shaking violently from her spot. Neptune's eyes were blank, as if she were in a trance, and Uranus was gripped again by an irrational fear. She reached out and gently touched the other woman's shoulder, turning Neptune towards her. In a movement that surprised the wind-senshi more than anything else could, Neptune launched herself at her, pulling herself against Uranus violently.

"I can't feel it," she said, her voice wavering and nothing at all like it's normal serenely confident tone. Uranus, eyes wide, didn't know how to react. A few seconds later, she folded her arms around Neptune as the smaller girl continued to shiver.

"I can't feel it, I can't feel it…" she repeated, mumbling her words against Uranus. Uranus swallowed hard, fear gripping her tightly. "Can't feel what?" she asked hesitantly. She was startled to find that Neptune was crying, hot tears ran down her cheeks and into Uranus' shirt.

"The sea. I can't feel the sea!" Neptune's words were panicked, and Uranus's heart jumped in fear. Gripping her tightly, the taller senshi led Neptune back inside, kicking both balcony doors shut against the cold. She walked the aqua-haired woman over to her bed and sat, holding her in her lap. "It's not there! It's just gone!" Neptune said over and over, her voice rising in hysterics.

"It's there," Uranus said, not knowing what else to say. "It's there, it didn't go anywhere. You're on the moon, remember?"

Neptune's eyebrows twitched in a frown, though Uranus couldn't see it. "The moon?" she asked softly against the other woman. "Why am I on the moon?" Uranus tried her best to keep her breathing slow and steady. The last thing she needed was to panic as Neptune was obviously doing.

"Serenity-sama summoned us, remember?" she asked gently, rocking the smaller girl gently. Slowly, Neptune's shivering decreased, and her breathing became more normal. She still mumbled about the sea, but Uranus gradually felt her relax against her arms. Soon, Neptune was asleep, and Uranus sat silently, just holding the other woman against her. It was a long time before she finally stood, tucked Neptune into her bed, and retreated back to her own.

Sleep did not come to Uranus immediately. Something was nagging at her, tickling her mind in an irritating way and disappearing just as she thought she had her finger on it. Stifling a yawn, she tried to stay awake, wanting to probe this nagging until she found its source. Time caught up with her, and against her will, she slipped into an uneasy sleep.

_The End Chapter Four_

_====_

**A.N**.: A bit of suspense, ne? Never hurt anyone, right? ::ducks:: Don't kill me!! I promise it'll be explained later, OK? :) Please leave reviews!


	6. Trouble Brewing: The Senshi Investigate

**Chapter Five: Trouble Brewing: The Senshi Investigate**

Author: StarlightMichi

====

The next morning dawned clear and bright; a beautiful day that didn't even hint at the troubles the night before had brought. Neptune slept late, but Uranus rose with the sun, unable to sleep any longer. She let the sea-senshi rest, not quite sure what to do about her. She wasn't sure if Neptune would remember the events from the night before, but was dieing to ask her about them.

When it was clear that the aqua-haired woman would not rise for some time, Uranus dressed and left the room, her stomach growling hungrily. The happy bustle of the dining room calmed her nerves a bit, and it was easy to pass Neptune's panic off as a dream. But Uranus knew it wasn't. The uneasy feeling was still with her and she didn't like it at all.

Pluto was seated at a table in the back staring absently into space, her food untouched. Uranus walked towards her, wondering if she felt the same uneasiness. "Can I sit?" she asked, not waiting for an answer before she pulled a chair out and sat. Pluto, startled out of her thoughts, nodded absently.

"Something happened with Neptune last night," Uranus stated. She wasn't a very talkative person, but with the events of the night before and the uneasiness sitting in her stomach she just felt she had to tell _someone_, and Pluto looked like a good listener. Uranus described what she'd seen, and Pluto frowned deeply.

"I feel the uneasiness too," she stated simply, her eyes looking towards the happy crowd. "I think something's happened, something important." She didn't have time to continue before Queen Serenity burst in the doors. It was normal for the queen to eat with her people, but it was not normal for her to show up looking like she'd seen a ghost.

She wasted no time in spotting Uranus and Pluto, and was by their table side in an instant.

"Urgent meeting in the Pearl Chamber. Bring Neptune, and if you spot Mars, Mercury, Venus or Jupiter along the way, let them know. Come as soon as you can." She left as quickly as she arrived, and Uranus was left with an unsettling feeling in her stomach that only intensified.

====

The room was oddly silent. Normally when the four guardians of Princess Serenity gathered there was hardly time to get a word in. But this morning, they were all silent, stone-faced soldiers waiting for Serenity to speak. Even Uranus had to agree that they did not look like 'giggling girls' at this time.

Apparently, whatever had unsettled Pluto and Uranus was also unsettling them. Neptune, who was more or less back to her normal self, arrived with Uranus. Neither had said a word on the way there. Uranus was unsure if Neptune remembered, and didn't want to remind her incase the sea-senshi didn't feel like explaining.

Seven pairs of eyes raced to the door as Serenity entered. She halted them with a hand as they rose to bow, and swiftly walked to the head of the long table. She didn't sit, though, but stood behind the large chair, wrapping her delicate fingers around the top. It was very clear that something distressed her. Her normally confident, lady-like quality was shattered as she stared at them with nervous eyes and twitching fingers.

"I doubt any of you cannot feel it now," she started, her voice oddly normal for her appearance. "What you feel is the Evil that entered through the rip. Before, I alone could feel it, but I can see in your faces that you can sense it now as well."

She paused, and swallowed, trying her best to remain confident. She unconsciously straightened her shoulders, and forced her fingers to remain steady along the chair. "I feel it ten fold," she said, keeping her voice from cracking with checked panic. "I don't know why this has happened, but I believe it is caused by one of two things.

"Either the Evil has grown in size, or it has moved closer." She shook her head softly, unable to look at the senshi. "We can sit by idle no longer. I want to know who, or what, is there, and I want to know why they have come. Mostly, I want to be certain whether they mean us harm. I should have done this a long time ago."

The senshi were silent. They didn't even nod their heads as they listened to Queen Serenity. The tension in the room was that of a taunt string, ready to snap at the slightest touch.

"Neptune, Uranus, you two will go to the time gate with Pluto. There, you will determine exactly where this Evil is keeping itself. If it is deemed safe—within reason—you will then go to that place and see for yourself what lies there. Do not, and I repeat, _do not_ fight them unless you are attacked first. I understand that we may be provoking an attack by the simple act of being there, but I must know what I'm dealing with."

Mars looked ready to protest, but held her tongue. Serenity nodded at her. "I have a task for you four as well," she stated simply, and Mars nodded. "The four of you are to come with me to the Council. It has gotten to the point that we must share what information we know with Earth and it's rulers. My daughter shall not attend. This information is still confidential and will not be passed on to anyone outside of this meeting. If we're clear here, then Pluto, you Neptune and Uranus are free to go when you see fit. The rest of you," and she gave a small glance at each of her daughters guardians, "Please dress in your finest and meet me at noon for the Council."

====

Silence once again accompanied Uranus and Neptune back to their room. Pluto had told them they would go in fifteen minutes, but neither senshi felt much like eating. So Uranus sat on a large chair while Neptune stood at the balcony, looking out over the gardens as she had done the night before.

The sight of her standing there, with a small breeze playing with her aqua hair, reminded Uranus of the night before. Though she hated to bring it up, she had to know if Neptune remembered or not.

Stealing herself against angry words that might come, the blonde stood and walked out to the balcony. She didn't know how to begin, but felt a straight forward approach would be best. "Last night…" she started, but Neptune halted her with the lifting of her hand.

"I remember," she said simply, her eyes never leaving the garden below. "I was having a horrible dream. I dreamt that the entire ocean of Kaiohsei had turned black. My people were screaming. Before my eyes, my ocean turned into dust and the world became dead. When I woke up, I didn't remember where I was, and panicked when I couldn't see, feel, or smell the ocean. I couldn't feel it, either." She gave a small, wry sort of smile. Uranus frowned a bit, but let her continue. "I know that it was because I'm so far from home, but at the time, I felt as if the dream had come true. I could feel evil pressing against me, and I lost my mind."

She avoided Uranus' gaze, and the taller woman nodded to herself, turning to look out onto the gardens as well. She didn't know how to reply, but felt like she should say something.

"Thank you," Neptune said after an uncomfortable pause. She turned and smiled softly at Uranus. "I remember what you did, and I want to thank you." She left it at that, though her lips twitched as if she had more to say. A knock on the door stopped her thoughts, and both women turned as Pluto entered.

"It's time."

====

Pluto stood, her eyes shut, facing away from her door. Uranus and Neptune stood on either side of her, their eyes open as they watched her in silence. As soon as they'd entered her realm, Pluto had been bombarded by a sense of evil. She was using that, now, to pinpoint where in the solar system the threat lay. After a moment, she opened her eyes.

Uranus stepped up quickly to wrap an arm around her as Pluto wavered. "I'm alright," she reassured her, standing on her own two feet once more. "I found them," she said with a bit of annoyance. "They've been hiding far into the system, always opposite from us, always on the other side of the sun. That's why we couldn't catch their presences earlier, the sense of the Sun was too powerful for such a force so far away."

This meant little to Uranus or Neptune, but they nodded their heads. When Pluto looked ready, the three teleported to the area pinpointed. The three soldiers, dressed ready to fight if necessary, peered down onto a lonely planet. It was smaller than the moon, and brown with death. Pluto frowned, and Uranus asked, "What planet is this?"

"It's not ours," Neptune said simply. "It doesn't belong in this solar system." Pluto nodded her agreement as they hovered, orbiting the small planet as a moon might.

"They must have pulled it through Time as well, though I don't remember any time that had another planet in this system." That was a concern. A power great enough to not only pull beings, but planets, through time was something to fear.

As they floated, they observed below them. The planet looked barren, deserted and dead as a rock. As they turned, a small dot on the horizon grew. It looked like a fortress, made from something resembling granite and colored black. Uranus imagined that it would blend in perfectly during the times that side of the planet lay in shadows.

As they turned and the fortress grew in size, they noticed the movement of people. Neptune squinted, counting. "I count ten, and I think the one in red is the leader." They watched, and it was apparent that their movements were coordinated, lead by the signals from the figure dressed in red.

It was an army, Uranus realized with a sinking feeling. An army of thinking beings with the power to pull themselves through Time.

"I think it's time to leave…" Neptune said.

Far below them, on the surface of the planet, the figure in red looked up and spotted three floating specks that should not be there. Her face deepened in a scowl as they vanished from sight, and she turned on her heels and marched swiftly into the fortress.

She arrived at her destination shortly, and rapped smartly on the door.

"Enter," said a soft voice. She did so, shutting the door softly behind her.

"My lady," she said, falling to her knee. "I think the Moon Kingdom knows of us," she said gravely. The soft tinkling of laughter cause her to look up, startled.

A soft, feminine figure moved towards her from the shadows, her eyes a striking black against her pale face. "Of course they know about us," she said softly, the tinkling of laughter still ringing in her voice. "We never expected to make our way here unnoticed. The power of the Moon Kingdom is great, as is ours. Just as we can sense them, they can no doubt sense us."

"Yes, my friend, they know about us. But don't let it worry you. We are ready if they chose to attack, but they won't. It is not in their nature to come looking for the fight. It will be brought to them in due time. For now, Davida, keep your soldiers working. Your time will come soon and they must be ready."

Davida lowered her eyes to the ground, obedience in her gesture. She waited a few seconds, then stood, bowed, and left the chamber, closing the door softly behind her.

====

Mars fidgeted. The stark white of the meeting room, coupled with the haunty nature of their guests and the pinch of her dress was making her rather irritable. Venus laid a hand against her arm, a soft touch meant to reassure and comfort her. It did help…a little.

Serenity entered last, a perfect picture of elegance in white and lavender. The entire council stood to greet her, sitting again only after she'd sank into her chair at the head of the room. Endymion sat at the other end, his expression hard. She could guess, by the worried creases in his mouth, that he already knew what she had to say.

The four guardians of Princess Serenity listened with rapt attention as Serenity told the council her news. They, of course, already knew everything she had to say, but they paid their utmost attention. Their job was simply to be there, in sight of the council members of Earth, to reassure them that there were powerful forces working to protect the planets.

Predictably, the council members gave responded in uproar. Questions were shouted, explanations were demanded, and chaos ensued until Serenity stood, pointedly. They quieted to look at her, a few shameful at their comments.

"We are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of the Kingdom, as well as Earth and the other eight planets. As we speak, I have three soldiers searching out the hiding spot of this Evil, to determine what threat they pose to us. When they return, I will make my judgment on the situation. Until then, please keep vigilant and do what you must to make your planet safe."

The council dispersed quickly after this, though Endymion stayed back to talk with Serenity. The four guardians left, not wanting to intrude on what they suspected was a private conversation.

Mars sat against the marble railing, against the winces of Venus and Mercury. "You'll wrinkle your dress," Venus stated simply, smoothing a hand over her own gold silk gown. Mars shrugged. She didn't have time to worry about petty things like dresses.

"This is serious," she stated, looking at each of them. Venus nodded, her expression deadly serious. "It is, but until Serenity-sama tells us what to do, we can only wait." Jupiter grunted, crossed her arms and leaned against a marble pillar.

"I don't like waiting," she said angrily. "We're soldiers! We should be out there doing something, not sitting here waiting for it to come to _us_. If we wait, it will just grow stronger." Mercury shook her head. "We don't know for certain what it is, and though it is Evil, it hasn't attacked us yet. Neptune, Pluto and Uranus are out there, seeing what it is. We'll know more when they come back."

Jupiter wasn't settled, but let it go. She knew there was no arguing with Mercury, or with Serenity, and so she just had to do as she was told. The four settled into silence, each thinking deeply about the situation at hand.

====

When Pluto, Uranus, and Neptune returned, they wasted no time in finding Serenity and filling her in on what they found. Serenity looked distraught at the news, but nodded. "Well, there's not much else we can do at the moment." She was debating whether to alert her people to the threat. She didn't want to ruin the carefree, happy nature that had settled over her kingdom, but leaving her people unprepared was far worse.

Pluto laid a hand on Serenity's shoulder, looking at her with concern. "You can't let your people sit by with blinders on their eyes," she stated calmly, knowing exactly what ailed the woman. Serenity nodded, and Uranus was startled to see tears in the corners of her eyes. Serenity was breaking down around them, and it hurt Uranus to see it.

Neptune, also, was gripped with pain to see Serenity so upset. She didn't get a chance to speak before the queen straightened herself, looking as poised and confident as always.

"In three days time, I will tell them." Pluto nodded, though Neptune and Uranus cast worried glances at each other. Later, Pluto filled them in that the night after next was a banquet to celebrate the end of the Earth's Council. Serenity wanted to give her people one last carefree night before she made her announcement.

Uranus thought this over later, as they sat in their room once more. Serenity was very compassionate, and Uranus understood how she felt—not wanting her people to be fearful on what should be a joyous night—but from a soldier's standpoint it made no sense. Three days was a long time, especially with a growing evil in the distance.

Shaking her head, Uranus stood and left to train, determined to be ready for the fight she was sure was coming.

_The End of Chapter Five_

=====

**A.N.** First off, I must say to all those you read my story I LOVE YOU!!!! cookies for everyone! It makes me so happy to read all of your comments! I'm really glad you're enjoying the story so far, and I hope I can keep you entertained!

So, Chapter Five is done. What do you think? It's getting a bit more serious, ne? And we finally get to see those evil people lurking just outside of reach! Sneaky little baddies! Get ready for Chapter Six! Please leave comments! :)

Oh, I also noticed a comment asking about Pluto. Originally, I didn't pair her with anyone, but I'm open to suggestions. I have my own views of who she'd be romantically inclined towards, but I'm open! Any suggestions?


	7. A Spark! The Fight Begins

**Chapter Six: A Spark! The Fight Begins**

Author: StarlightMichi

====

Serenity would never get her three days of peace. The night after the Senshi had visited the dead planet, Davida attacked.

It was silent. An hour or two past midnight, a time when most people were snuggling down to sleep or already lost in dreams. Davida's forces—a small group of ten armed—shifted through space to hover over the Moon. There they laid in wait until all was silent and still. Their goal was to catch Serenity and her Soldiers completely off guard. By hitting at night, when Serenity was most likely to be asleep and unfeeling of their power, they hoped to slip in and catch them in their beds.

Davida smiled to herself. This would be a walk in the park, she thought as they landed silently in the garden. She sent half her group forwards towards the door, the other five stayed with her as personal guards. A shout from the door caught them all off guard, and a flood of light hit the garden.

Chaos ensued. Davida watched with wide eyes as her forces were pulled apart by vines, chained to their places by a golden whip and burned into oblivion. She caught a look at Queen Serenity, standing on the balcony with her arms raised. Light shone from her palms, making Davida shriek. She covered her eyes with her arm and shouted a hasty order of retreat. She teleported away, landing on her dead planet and breathing heavily. Her soldiers were gone—dead, she assumed. She took a moment to catch her breath, then hastily left to report what had happened, fear rising in her chest.

====

It had been late when Pluto had awoken them. With hurried orders to be quite and move with the shadows, Neptune and Uranus had followed her down to the first level, and to the door to the gardens. There, she filled them in.

"Serenity senses the presence of evil. It's hovering just outside of the Moon and she believes they will land. The four guardians of Princess Serenity are waiting at the other door. Queen Serenity does not want to alert the enemy to our numbers, and asks that we wait here and help only if needed."

Uranus growled, not liking that idea at all. Pluto and Neptune shushed her, and she complied only because it was Serenity's order that they not fight. A part of her wanted Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus to fail, just so she'd have a chance to get in on the fight. 

A wash of light lit the garden up. All three soldiers squinted and blinked, tears in their eyes. Pluto pointed out Serenity, standing on the balcony and using the ginzuishou to light the garden.

"FLAME SNIPER!" Fire ripped through the soldiers from the dead planet, sending screams into the air. Neptune winced at their sound. She watched as Venus used her Love-Me Chain to ensnare several would-be escapees. A shriek filled the air, and all eyes went towards the warrior in red, encircled by soldiers. She vanished a moment later, leaving her guards behind. It was quick work to round them up.

Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto were called forth to help assess the damange. The light, and sound of battle had roused many residents of the Moon, and a small crowd formed inside the garden. Jupiter and Mars were put on crowd-control while Serenity spoke with Venus and Pluto.

Neptune, Uranus, and Mercury wandered through the group, counting. "I've got five caught," Neptune called, finished counting heads in her area.

Uranus winced. "Two dead over here. One caught in a tree." Neptune and Uranus glanced towards Jupiter for an explanation, but she was busy arguing with a captain from Earth.

"I've got two wounded, and one dead here." Mercury looked a bit ill as she returned to Serenity along with Uranus and Neptune. The queen didn't take the news any better. "I didn't mean to kill them," she stated, but Pluto shook her head. "They attacked us. They would have killed us." But Serenity looked distraught. Putting a hand on her shoulder, Pluto led her away, pausing only to mutter something to Uranus.

Uranus nodded, and filled in the rest. "There will be a council meeting later today—confidential. Meet in the Pearl Chamber."

There was nothing left to do but clean up the mess.

====

Serenity was distraught. She paced her chamber restlessly, wringing her hands in her dress. Pluto stood in a corner, though she was quite forgotten at the time. Serenity had more important things on her mind. There had been death during this fight. Death! On _her_ soil!

"That won't happen again," she swore to herself, stopping to clench her hands into fists. Pluto frowned in worry. It was not like Serenity to be so anxious. She didn't know what to do, and so she stood in her place feeling helpless.

"I won't let another soul die on _my_ Moon." Without another word, Serenity left the room, slipping behind marble doors that shut tightly behind her. Pluto was left alone in the room, a surprised look on her face.

====

Davida knelt on the floor, choking back her fears. The woman infront of her had her back to Davida, and was looking out of a long window. Strangly, this window did not look out on to the surface of the planet, but into some shadowy realm that Davida could not make out. She didn't try too hard, and she had the distinct impression the window was off limits.

"You lost all of them?" the trilling voice asked. A rustle of satin alerted Davida to the woman's movement. She turned to face the kneeling soldier. Davida nodded her head, unable to mutter the words.

"Do not be afraid," came soothing words. A hand reached out to touch Davida's cheek softly, and tears sprang to the kneeling woman's eyes. "I am not upset with you. I should have warned you." The woman's hand left her cheek, and Davida knew she had turned around once more.

"We were too hasty. The Moon Kingdom is strong and I was foolish to think they could be tricked so easily." There was a pause, and Davida chanced a glance up. Long locks of hair met her eyes, though their color was undistinguishable in the shadows of the room.

"I am sorry you lost your soldiers," and there was true sympathy in the woman's voice. "But it will be alright. We will make this wrong right in time."

Davida nodded her head, wiping the last of her tears away.

====

Word traveled fast around the castle, and by the time the sun rose, there wasn't a person on the Moon that didn't know of the attack. Panic was quickly stilled by Serenity calling a meeting of everyone in the Dining Hall. Rather than their planned meeting in the Pearl Chamber, Serenity surprised all—including the senshi—by holding it in public in the Hall.

"Please, do not panic. The situation has been handled, and I assure you that I have a plan." She launched into her theory. She had decided that, being very careful, she could use the ginzuishou and create a field of positive energy around the Moon. This was all very complicated, and most of the crowd had not a clue as to what she was saying. In the end, though, they were pacified and certain that there would be no more attacks.

Uranus stood with Neptune and Pluto at the entranceway. Her arms were crossed across her chest and she wore a scowl on her face. Neptune glanced towards her, and gently touched her arm with her fingertips. "What?" she asked when Uranus looked at her.

"I don't know if I like this plan," Uranus replied, whispering so that she could not be overheard. "Using the ginzuishou like that… what if they do attack and get past this… whatever it is. Serenity-sama's going to sap her energy away doing this, and it might be for nothing."

Neptune smiled softly, a small comfort. "If Serenity-sama thinks it will work, then I have faith in her. "We devastated them. I don't think they will try the same trick twice."

"No, they'll just think up a new one. I'm sorry," Uranus whispered an apology at Neptune's hurt look. She gave the sea-senshi a weak smile, but knew it hadn't come across as very positive.

"The celebration will still go on…" Serenity was saying, still talking to the crowd. The banquet that night would be huge, and it was her hope that they would continue on as normal. She would have the senshi alert, and felt that—with the ginzuishou—they would be safe.

_The End of Chapter Six_

====

**N.A.:** Hmm, I don't know if I like this chapter or not. I might expand it depending on the comments I receive. Anyways, if I don't expand it, the banquet will take place in the next chapter. Get ready for lovey-dovey fluff next chapter!


	8. A Calm Evening: Love is in the Air

**Chapter Seven: A Calm Evening: Love is in the Air**

Author: StarlightMichi

====

After Serenity's speech, the mood around the palace lightened back to normal. Even the senshi relaxed; Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus especially. All four were rather proud of their successful defense. They chatted happily at lunch, returning to the "giggly girls" Uranus despised so much.

As for the wind-senshi, she preferred some time away from the crowd. She stood above the garden on the balcony of her room, her hands on the railing in front of her as she slumped a bit. She still wasn't completely satisfied with Serenity's plan, but had to admit that she was feeling much more at ease. A soft click alerted her to Neptune's entrance. The tall senshi turned to watch the aqua-haired princess join her on the balcony. Both turned to survey the garden.

"You're still tense," Neptune said, not bothering to look at Uranus. Uranus had to smile a bit. Neptune knew her pretty well by this point, and she wasn't surprised that the sea-senshi knew Uranus hadn't changed her mind. She glanced sideways, catching a profile view of Neptune. It struck Uranus, suddenly, just how pretty the other woman was. She'd been too busy to notice, she supposed. But she noticed now, and it made her stomach knot. Against her will, visions of the night she'd held Neptune flashed back into her head. She remembered the feel of her in her arms, the smell of her hair…even though Neptune had been paniced at the time, Uranus still remembered feeling attracted t her.

Neptune felt eyes on her, and turned to see Uranus staring at her. "What?" she asked softly, lifting a hand to her nose. Uranus shook her head, stood, and walked back into the room, casually tossing back an "it's nothing" which made Neptune frown in curiosity.

====

Glitter and sparkles. The best way to describe the grand hall for the banquet that night was glitter and sparkles, Mars decided. She entered with Venus on her arm, both dressed in their finest gowns and looking every bit the princess that they were. Venus wore small, gold droplets in her hair, making her sparkle with the room. Mars had shivered at the sight of her, and was very glad that _she_ was escorting the soldier of love and beauty. She knew there were many envious men—and woman—eyeing her with a vengeance.

"Ooh! Let's go see the food, please?" Mars grinned and nodded, letting Venus lead the way through the crowd. It wasn't unusual for Venus to head straight for edibles, and the banquet usually had wonderful displays, often using food as their artwork. She let the golden-girl lead her along, 'oohing' and 'ahhing' over everything. 

====

Jupiter rolled her eyes at Mercury. "Really, Mercury, you look fine." It was their normal struggle. Jupiter insisting that Mercury looked fine while Mercury insisted she looked like she was playing dress-up. "You're a princess. Sometimes you're going to _look_ like one." Jupiter knew that the problem did not lie in the clothes—not really. Mercury did not like to attract attention, and she tended to get noticed when she dressed like her rank.

Mercury eventually came out, blushing furiously. She always looked pretty like that. Jupiter was quick to catch her arm, stopping the other girl from retreating back into the room. "There, now. This isn't so bad. Come, or we'll be late and then everyone _will_ notice you," she teased.

Mercury took the threat seriously, though, and her steps hastened. Grinning, Jupiter lengthened her stride to keep up, making it look effortless. "Wait," she said as they reached the door. No one else was around, and Jupiter pulled Mercury to the side. "Let me fix this," she said, reaching up to settle the circlet of silver and sapphire that she wore. With a small smile, Jupiter leaned down and gave Mercury a soft kiss. "You look fine. Now take a deep breath, straight your posture, and walk in there like the Princess you are!"

====

The Grand Hall of the Palace was alive with people, music, and glittering decorations. Princess Serenity loved these times. They filled her with laughter and love, and she watched the happy people around her with a heart that soared. Her mood only grew when she spotted Endymion through the crowd.

A flush rose to her cheeks, and she felt her heart flutter as he walked towards her, resplendent in his silver and black ensemble. The satin finish suited him perfect, and she couldn't find words when he bent and kissed her hand gently. She felt as giddy as a child with her first crush—which she almost was. 

"You look beautiful," he said softly, whispering the words against her ear and sending tingles down her back. She let him lead her out to the dancing floor, fitting into his arms perfectly as the music played. She didn't care who saw; all that mattered was that she dance with her prince.

====

Though at first reluctant, Uranus finally made it to the banquet—in a dress. She'd been sent back by Pluto, who had _demanded_ she appear "appropriate". Thus, she was a few hours late, having been behind to begin with.

She slipped into the room unnoticed, and scooted as quickly as she could for the refreshments. A few cups of punch later, and Uranus was feeling _much_ more lively. She cast her eyes around the room, spotting a few familiar faces among a sea of unfamiliars. She spotted Venus and Mars easily, and grinned as they slipped off somewhere. She certainly wouldn't mention anything.

A glittering girl in silver and pearls caught her attention. It was the hair that gave her away—long, silver, and flowing like sink. Princess Serenity. And it looked like she had a dance partner already. That was all right—Uranus didn't think she wanted to dance just yet.

A glitter of teal caught her eye, and she squinted into the mass of dancers to spot Neptune. Though she had seen her as she left, Uranus still felt her throat catch at the sight of her. She had been pretty before, but tonight—dressed in her finery—she was gorgeous. Irrational annoyance sprang to her head as she watched her dance and giggle with one of the palace residence.

It would take another cup of punch before Uranus stormed over and tapped—not so politely—on the shoulder of the man dancing with her. "Mind if I cut in?" she asked, not looking very open to refusal. The young made gulped a bit and scooted out of the way of the princess, fearful for his life. Neptune grinned a bit, though Uranus missed it.

"You look rather... flushed," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Tried the punch, I assume?" Uranus bobbed her head a bit, then shook it. "Is that why my head feels fuzzy? It's spiked, isn't it?" Uranus groaned and Neptune's giggles. She didn't have time to analyze how being a bit tipsy might affect her. She was trying to dance.

"Ouch! You stepped on my foot again," Neptune said, giggling. She, who hadn't had any punch, was also feeling a bit light-headed. She didn't want to think about the implications. Tonight was a night to just have fun, and let emotions take them where they would. This was not a night for thought.

Uranus sheepishly apologized, looking down at Neptune's food with a frown. She couldn't dance that well when she was sober, let alone when she was fuzzy. Finally, it was Neptune that pulled them off the dance floor and towards the balcony. She needed fresh air, and by the look of Uranus, the wind-senshi did too.

They stood on the balcony, giggling and gulping in fresh night air. They were alone, and it was a nice change from the glitter, lights, and laughter of the crowded banquet hall. As the punch started to slowly wear off—for now it had been a few hours—Uranus was starting to realize all that had happened with a rational mind. Neptune smiled at her, a bit of a flush to her cheeks. She turned and looked out over the entrance to the palace and shivered gently.

The night was breezy and cool, and she hadn't brought a shawl. She didn't mind the chill too much, though, and would gladly sacrifice personal comfort for alone time with Uranus. Briefly, her mind went back to the night of her nightmare. The feel of being held so tightly, of feeling the taller woman breath and hearing her heart-beat. It made her blush a bit, and she was glad for the shadows of night.

Soft arms wrapped around her from behind, and she felt a body press against her back. It took her a half second to realize that Uranus was there, holding her against the chill. "Uranus…" she started, wanting to explain. She stopped, though, not wanting to change the moment. Her heart was racing, beating hard in her chest. Behind her, she felt Uranus' chest raise and fall with her breaths. She leaned back, just a bit, wanting to be held tightly again.

Uranus seemed to understand, and pulled Neptune against her. She silently thanked the Moon for having such chilly nights and making warmth a plausible excuse for her embrace. Both women knew that it was more than just the chill of night air that kept them together, though.

How long they stood there, neither knew. Their close proximity, coupled with the magic of glitter and laughter, made both of them giddy. When the door to the balcony was opened softly, Uranus was reluctant to let go. But let go she did, not knowing how Neptune would feel to others seeing them.

Neptune's heart sank as she felt Uranus' grip loosen, then vanish all together. She turned, fully prepared to hate whoever had opened the door, when she spotted Pluto and Serenity. They looked deep in conversation.

"Let's go…"Uranus suggested. Neptune nodded, and followed her back into the Hall.

====

It was only an hour later that the banquet started winding down. Uranus and Neptune, neither quite sure how to act around the other, had been rather quite since. Neptune hadn't objected to Uranus' presence, and Uranus hadn't felt the need to leave. The pair walked down the hall with the other senshi, listening to the chatter and giggle of the other girls. As they parted for their rooms, the pair was eventually left alone.

Slipping into their room, awkwardness overcame them both. Neptune went about her normal tasks, walking to her wardrobe to look for a nightgown. Uranus simply stood by the door, unsure of what to do. What she wanted to do was simple, but whether she should or not was another question.

Finally, she walked over and wrapped her arms around Neptune once more, pulling the other woman against her. When she didn't protest, Uranus nuzzled her hair gently, breathing in the scent of it. It made her tingle inside, and sent shivers down her spin. Wiggling a bit, Neptune turned to face her, looking up into her face and forcing Uranus to open her eyes.

They didn't say anything; simply looked at each other. Finally, Uranus bent gently and kissed her lips. It was a soft, gentle kiss—romantic in nature. It was all that needed to be said.

_The End of Chapter Seven_

====

**A.N.:** So! Fluffy chapter eh! I told you it would be Can't have angst all the time, an I was dieing to finally do some lovey-dovey stuff between Uranus and Neptune.


	9. A Senshi's Turmoil: Neptune Attacked

**Chapter Eight: A Rude Awakening: The Planets Attacked**

Author: StarlightMichi

It was a few weeks after the banquete, and all appeared to be quite normal. The lonely planet had been quiet. There had been no attacks, and very little threat to the Moon Kingdom. Queen Serenity was still cautious, as were the Senshi, but the tension in the air was gradually decreasing until it was simply a small concern--a tingling nag at the back of their minds.

Uranus and Neptune had returned to normal life with one major difference--they couldn't seem to look at each other without some uneasiness. It wasn't uncomfortable between them, just awkward. Neither knew how to react to the other anymore

After the night of the banquete, things had been different. Uranus knew Neptune felt it too, but she was pretty sure that the other woman didn't know what to do about it. Uranus didn't know what to do about it either. On one hand, she wanted to pursue this new feeling, and see what happened between her and Neptune. On the other hand... they had a job to do. A relationship would only complicate things, and potentially endanger them. Feelings--deeper than friends--were dangerous on the battle field.

Heaving a sigh, the taller woman stood and left the main room, crossing the tiled floor and out onto the balcony. It was midday, and the sun cast a light air over the kingdom of the Moon. Uranus stood, peering in to the direction of the lonely planet. She could feel the tingling nag at the back of her mind, and wished it would go away. Do something already, she thought to herself. Uranus wanted this over with.

Far across, on the opposite side of the sun, the dark, dead planet spun lazily in it's artificial orbit. Small groups of dark-clad soldiers marched around the courtyard of the dark building, preparing for something great.

Inside, a tall woman with dark hair bowed before a ebony thrown. Her eyes were down cast, staring at the floor in silent submission. Fingers tapped at the arms of the thrown, and the tall woman chanced a glance upwards. At an unspoken request, she stood and bowed once before standing at her full height.

"My lady," she began, her voice a soft, commanding tone resonant with femininity. "My soldiers are ready. We are prepared to carry out your orders. We won't fail you the way Davida did." Her face one of stern discipling, it was almost unnerving to hear the throwned woman's tinkling laugh.

"My dear, Davida did not fail me. Her defeat was necessary. All defeat serves a purpose. However, fall for her mistake again, and it **will **be your failure."

The other woman swallowed nervously, bowing her head. "Alright, if you deem them ready, then go. Carry out your plan and we shall see how it works. But be ready...It's only a matter of time before you, as well, will face the Senshi of the Moon Kingdom."

The planet was quiet. The ocean still, and the sky silent as it slept. Night had fallen on Kaiohsei and it's people slept comfortably in their beds. In the palance, the only sound was that of an occasional woman or man, tending to some late night task, or hurrying off to bed.

The stillness of the night was broken by a small flare in the star-studded sky. A silver orb fell to the planet, hitting the water with an unsettling silence. Not even a drop stirred as the silver orb was plunged into it's depths. It sank like a rock, straight to the bottom. When it hit, it didn't move from it's spot, didn't even rock side to side with the under current of the water. No sand stuck to it, and no fish would come near it.

It sat in silence, stillness, emitting a soft silver glow that seemed to suck the light around it in. In silence, it began to shimmer, it flared once more, then shrank away into darkness, disappearing into the endless ocean without anyone the wiser.

Neptune woke, feeling sluggish and uncomfortable. She hadn't slept well--Uranus knew this. The sea-senshi had kept her up all night. Curious, Uranus peered over to watch Neptune as she sat up.

The normally cheerful woman looked tired and stressed. Frowning, Uranus stood and got her a glass of water without even being asked. Neptune thanked her with a smile, but hardly drank any. This was cause for concern. Neptune sighed a little, and rubbed at her eyes.

"I'm so tired," she complained, snuggling back into her blankets. "I just want to sleep." Uranus frowned. This was very unlike the aqua-haired woman, and it was staring to worry her.

"Should I get Serenity-sama, or a palace Healer?" she asked, frowning a little. Neptune shook her head, waving her hand at the suggestion.

"For sluggishness? Don't bother them. I just didn't sleep well last night. I'll take it easy today, and go to bed early tonight. I'll be fine tomorrow."

But Neptune wasn't fine the next morning. In face, Uranus swore up and down that she was worse than the previous day. Neptune didn't even try to sit up, but just laid in her bed, fighting to stay awake. When the sea-senshi was finally too tired and sluggish to tell her no, Uranus fetched Serenity and the Healer, very concerned.

After a thorough examination, the Healer looked towards Serenity and Uranus with a confused look. Leaving the room so that Neptune could sleep, he spoke to them about her condition.

"I can't find anything wrong." Uranus frowned, a bit upset as it was, this didn't help.

"What do you mean you can't find anything wrong?? Obviously something's not right with her! Shes--" but she was cut off by the Healer's scowl.

"I said I couldn't find anything wrong. All I see when I examine her is sever exhaustion. She appears as one would appear after strenuous activity for days. I can't explain it."

Uranus paced, tense and very unhappy with this news. Serenity politely thanked the Healer, and sent him on his way.

"She'll be fine," she said to Uranus, casting soft eyes upon the distressed soldier. "Just let her rest and I'm sure she'll be OK in a few days."

Uranus' jaw tightened. This was not the news she had wanted to hear. "We have to do something," she said, her voice tight and forced. "Something's wrong with her. Something serious!"

"What do you want us to do?" Serenity asked calmly, watching the other woman with kind eyes that were beginning to anger Uranus.

"_Something_! Anything! Make her better. Maybe.. maybe something's wrong on Kaiohsei..."

Serenity frowned, unnerved. The pair left, Serenity taking Uranus into her chambers where a small table of gold lay to the side. Atop the table sat a mirror, polished silver that shone back with almost a light of its own. Peering into it, Uranus was surprised that she couldn't see her own reflection, but was actually looking down into the garden. The Princess was there, and it appeared she was meeting her Prince.

Serenity said something softly, and the image clouded over. "It's an easy way to see across vast distances," she explained to Uranus.

"But... you sent us to see the planet... why didn't you just use this?"

Serenity smiled a bit mischievously. "It doesn't work that way. But.. here." She leaned towards the mirror, and blew across it gently. "Kaiohsei," she spoke, and the mirror shimmered light water. Slowly, the image of a gilded hallway shimmered into view. As they watched, a tall man in blue entered the room, muttering something under his breath.

Startled, Uranus watched as the man turned and seemed to bow to them. "My Lady," he said towards them. Serenity inclined her head. "Lord," she said in greeting. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I was concerned about the affairs of your planet. Is Kaiohsei well?"

The blue clad man nodded, and confirmed that all was seemingly well with Kaiohsei. The only suspicious activity lately was that a large pod of dolphins had suddenly left their territory, and headed far to the south. No one could figure out why, but it was nothing to be worried about--dolphins could be fickle.

Serenity thanked him for his time, and turned to Uranus. "Kaiohsei is fine. Neptune will get better. Please try to calm down."

Uranus had taken Serenity's words to heart. The confirmation that Kaiohsei was OK didn't help her much, though. The soldier of the skies spent long hours next to Neptune's bed, just watching the senshi sleep.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked softly, concern deep in her gaze. Neptune just slept, and Uranus was left with silence, and long hours to think.

Another two days passed, and Neptune didn't get better. Uranus swore she got worse, but no one could really tell. It was Uranus who noticed that the sea-senshi didn't even move in her sleep any more.

Forced to the dining cavern by Pluto and Mars, Uranus sat sullenly, only poking at her food. Dark circles ringed her eyes, and she didn't say a word to either woman.

Mars frowned, peering intently at Uranus. She was thinking hard, but didn't say a word. After the small lunch, Pluto left Mars and Uranus alone together. The raven-haired senshi reached out and touched Uranus' arm gently.

"I believe you," she said quietly, her stare intent and serious. It wasn't a comforting gesture, Uranus realized. Attentive, Uranus turned towards Mars, and waited.

"Something is seriously wrong, not only with Neptune, but with Kaiohsei. I know what Serenity said, but it's not right. I feel something wrong. When I'm near your door, I feel it. When I'm near you, I feel it." This made the red senshi smile a bit, but it was quickly gone. "Something's happening on Kaiohsei. If you want to go, I can convinced Mercury, Jupiter and Venus to come. The five of us can teleport and find out." She paused. "If you want too."

Uranus' agreement was instantanious. The two soldiers worked out the details and agreed to meet in the garden that night, while the rest of the palace slept.

Kaiohsei's ocean was black in the night. It looked nothing like the bright blue vision Uranus had seen her first visit to the planet. She had met Neptune for the first time. The thought made her jaw tighten, and she clenched her hands tight.

"Ouch!" squeaked Venus, wincing. "That's too tight," she complained, her hand throbbing in Uranus' tight grip. The five senshi floated gently above the sea, just staring at it.

"What do we do now?" Jupiter asked, slight annoyance on her face. It wasn't that she hadn't wanted to come--she had. But looking down at the vast ocean, she just couldn't help but cringe at the thought of searching the entire thing for something they didn't even know was there or not. Or what size, or color, or anything. It was daunting.

"Serenity-sama said that all was well on Kaoihsei, right?" Mercury asked tentativly, fearful of Uranus' wrath.

Sighing in annoyance, the blonde nodded her head. "Yes, for the last time! The man in blue said that everything was just find and dandy except for some stupid dolphins changing territory."

Mercury frowned. "You didn't tell me that before..." she started, but shut up at Uranus' glare. "I just mean... if there's something wrong here, we ought to check out anything unusual, even if it's as silly as dolphins. At least it's something."

Agreeing, the group floated along until they reached the area the dolphins had once occupied. Thanks to Mercury's forethought of getting maps of Kaiohsei's ocean, it wasn't hard to find the old territory.

Mars jerked, pulling Jupiter's arm hard. "Watch it!" the green girl complained, frowning. Looking at Mars, though, she quickly shut up.

"What is it?" Venus asked, looking anxious.

"Something's down there. I don't know what, but there's no life down there. And there should be, it's thousands of feet to the bottom, there should be at least one fish..." This worried Mars, and Uranus.

"Can we go in?" Uranus asked, eyeing the ocean axiously. Mercury gawked. "Through thousands of feet, possibly miles, of water! You'd drown, or worse, you'd be crushed!" Uranus frowned, not liking that answer.

"Then what do we do about it?" she muttered in discontent. They were wasting time! Neptune might be getting worse, she might be... dieing. Swallowing her fear, and tighting her jaw, Uranus was resolved.

"We're going down there, somehow. Think of a way, or I'll jump in."

An hour later and the senshi were ready. Mercury hovered over the area that Mars was directing them at. She stood with her hands down, palm towards the water, taking deep breaths. Jupiter hovered next to her, her hands around the blue-senshi's waist for moral, and physical, support.

"We have one shot at this, really," she said again, eyeing them. "I've never done anything like this before, I don't know how long I can do this... _if_I can do this."

Uranus' jaw as tight. "You can, you will, we will," she said in a monotone voice that said she'd been repeating it for some time. She floated near Venus, while Mars stood with Mercury, her eyes shut, a concentrating look on her face.

"I think I've got it..." she said, wearily as she tired to pinpoin the exact location of... whatever it was they were looking for.

"On three," she said, not looking at them. "One... Two... Three!"

In an instant, Uranus and Venus dived. Instead of crashing into the water, though, at the moment they would have reached the Ocean, it opened up before them. Mercury forced all her power downwards, forcing the water's to seperate and allow the two women to pass through.

Venus and Uranus dropped light rocks, increasing inspead. The ocean kept receding infront of them, attempting to keep up with their spead. Foam sprayed their faces.

"NOW!" Mars shouted. Venus turned and faced Jupiter, her hair flying pass her face. "Vensu, love me CHAIN!" The golden hearts flew past her arm, flying into the air to wrap securely around the senshi of lightning. Grabbing the other end, Venus reached for Uranus with her other hand, creating a link. They jerked violently as the Chain halted their fall.

Venus cried out in pain, tears coming to her eyes. Uranus was more worried about below them. They'd reached the ocean floor, and she knew she only had a few moments to find what she was looking for before Mercury would lose her strength, and tons of water would crush the pair of them.

Squinting, she saw something vastly different than the fine grained sand, shells, and rocks of the ocean floor. Reaching forwards, she wrapped her fingers around the small orb, holding it in the palm of her hand.

"Take us up!" she cried. With a jerk, the were pulled up. Water rushed up behind them, faster than it had descended. "Mercury!" Venus cried as her feet were submerged.

"I'm trying!" the water girl cried back, her body quivering with the effort of holding the ocean apart. It was too strong for the girl, and in a moment, the gap closed. Waves crashed violently together as the ocean became one once more. waves roiled, soaking the hovering senshi until the waters were calm once more.

Silence followed as the pair stared at where the opening had been. Venus' chain strained as Jupiter held it, a glowing gold chain of hearts that descended into the ocean, disappearing. Jupiter strained, still pulling the chain upwards. Mars and Mercury didn't dare speak.

A second later, and the surface was broken, Venus and Uranus gasping for breath.

Back at the palace, Uranus and Venus sat wrapped up tight in blankets, hair still wet. Jupiter sat with Mars, watching Mercury. The blue-haired woman was studying the orb intently, turning it about in her hand and looking over every inch.

"Are you sure this is it?" she asked Mars, frowning.

"Yes. As soon as Uranus took it from the ocean, the water turned normal. That is... fish began to swim there."

Nodding her head, Mercury sat the orb down. "I'll need to run some tests, but it seems to be the cause." Looking up, Mercury smiled softly at Uranus. "Neptune should be OK now. Maybe you should check on her?"

Uranus nodded, standing. She returned the blanket and walked through the halls, shiveringly slightly. The room was bright when she entered. Confused, Uranus looked around. Neptune wasn't in her bed.

"Where were you?" came the angry voice from the balcony. Turning, Neptune strode in, worry and annoyance on her face. "Where have you been? I couldn't find you anywhere... I was worried!"

Her complains were cut off as Uranus grabbed her, holding her fiercly as she burried her nose in the womans soft waves. Neptune was silent. After a moment, she wrapped her arms around Uranus and snuggled against her.

_The End of Chapter Eight_

**A.N.** Ok, I know, this has been a long time coming. Please excuse any inconsistancies. I lost all of my chapters to a virus, so I lost all the notes I had. Any ways, if there is anything you see that needs to be fixed, lemme know!


	10. Complications: The Senshi Unnerved

**Chapter Nine: Complications: The Senshi Unnerved**

Author: StarlightMichi

Neptune returned to normal. To all appearances, she hadn't suffered at all. She went about her daily routine with her normal smile on her normal face, as she completed her normal tasks. It was Uranus that still wore the worried frown and crease upon her brow. The senshi of the skies seemed to follow Neptune everywhere, never letting the woman out of her sight. She was constantly ready to catch her if she fell. It was starting to annoy Neptune.

"I'm not going to break," Neptune stated in a not-so-polite manner. "I'm not made of glass."

Uranus' cheeks pinkened a little. "I know you're not, but I want to make sure you truely are better. What if you relapsed?"

Neptune heaved a sigh. "You got the orb, didn't you? I'm fine now."

"What if that wasn't it? What if it was something else? What if-"

"What if nothing. Leave me alone already, I feel like a child." Waving her hand dismissivly, Neptune watched Uranus sigh, stand, and stalk out of the room with an unhappy grump. She didn't like leaving the sea-senshi alone. The image of her lieing so still and weak on her bed was still to clearly imprinted in Uranus' mind. She refused to let it happen again.

For lack of anything better to do, she headed down towards the Dining Hall, deciding a snack might cheer her up.

"Uranus!" The familiar, focused voice called the soldier to attention. Turning, the blonde waited for Mercury to catch up.

"I think I've figured the Orb out," she stated at once, not waiting to be asked. Mercury launched into a tale of her trials and troubles figuring out the small, round object they'd found on the ocean floor. After a few minutes and a million complicated phrases later, Uranus was terribly confused and Mercury was out of breath.

"In conclusion," she stated at last, "I believe the Orb was designed to suck the energy of the planet into itself."

Uranus frowned as she picked up a small cake.

"That doesn't make sense, the planet was fine..."

Mercury shook her head, soft blue locks fluttering gently around her face.

"No, not like that. I meant... It was designed to suck the life out of the soul of the planet. And the soul of Kaiohsei is Neptune." Uranus pondered this information, her jaw tight. The pair selected a table off to the side that was more private. Popping a peice in her mouth, Uranus chewed as she thought angrily.

"So, they were trying to kill Neptune?" she asked, her voice tense, and forced.

Mercury winced slightly, ignorning her own plate for the moment. "No, well, I don't belive that it was their intention. I don't think they--whoever planted the orb--knew it would have this effect. It's schematics are set up so that it will run quietly, draining energy but not in a way that alerts people. It's meant to kill the planet from the inside. It just happened to suck it straight from Neptune. If left unchecked... well, Neptune would have died, and then Kaiohsei would have died."

This didn't seem to help matters. Uranus, who was not too tense and angry to finish her cake, thunked her fist down on the table.

"I won't give them a second chance," she stated fiercly. "I'm going to stop them."

Mercury shook her head gently. "Talk to Serenity-sama. Don't be rash..."

Although the Princess knew the reason Earth's council was still at the palace, it still concerned her. She didn't know all the details, just that it most likely had something to do with the strange planet floating on the other side of the sun, and the attack before the banquette.

However worried she might be, though, she couldn't help feeling happy that Endymion was still near. They'd had more time together than originally thought, and Princess Serenity felt just a hint of guilt. It was because her Kingdom was in danger that she got to see him.

She stood at her balcony, looking out over the palace courtyard with little interest in the goings on below. She was lost in her thoughts, traveling back to her meeting with Endymion. He'd seemed concerned, and a little ill.

Frowning, she recalled the paleness of his skin, and the circles under his eyes. Why hadn't she noticed before? He'd been stressed, and she hadn't said anything. What if it was serious?

Vowing to ask him about it next time, Serenity sank into a near by chair and lost herself in her day dreams.

Serenity never got the chance. In the dead of night, Earth's Prince and his four guardians were called back immediatly. Something terrible had happened, but no one on the Moon knew quite what it was. Only the Queen walked around with a look of knowledge and concern on her face.

Venus stared at her intently from across the dining hall, puzzling over her expression. "What if she knows about Endymion? What if Endymion's parents know, and that's why he was sent home?" she asked, her voice reaching a squeaky pitch.

Mars winced as she took a spoonful of hot cereal to her mouth. "I doubt that's it," she stated calmly, blowing gently on her breakfast.

Jupiter shrugged at Venus, though she did cast hesitant glances at the queen. "I don't think their love affair is a top priority right now, V," she said rationally. "I think it has something to do with Kaiohsei, or that dead planet."

Mercury was missing this morning, but it didn't surprise the four girls. The blue senshi had been missing a lot lately, caught up in her experiments on the mysterious orb. Though Neptune was normall once more, and Mars no longer felt uneasy about Kaiohsei, Mercury was convinced there was more to the orb that it's first purpose. The three senshi were learning to live without their fourth guardian until Mercury was satisfied.

"Well, whatever it is, I wish she'd tell us. It's driving me insane!" Venus pouted a bit, and turned her eyes away from the Queen and onto her own breakfast.

"She'll tell us when she's ready," Jupiter stated calmly. The three went back to breakfast, and talk of happier things.

Mercury had, indeed, been fast at work. After a few more days of endless experimenting, prodding, and poking, she was confident she'd learned all she could about the dark orb.

Clutching her treasure protectivly, she hurried down the hall way towards the Pearl Chamber, where she'd agreed to meet with Uranus, Pluto and Queen Serenity to discuss the Orb. Neptune was resting, as the palace healer, after looking her over at Serenity's request, decided she needed a bit more time off her feet. Furious, the sea-senshi had locked herself in her room, not speaking to anyone.

"Well," Mercury started, standing at the head of the table. "This is what we found when we went to Kaiohsei." She sat the orb down on the table with a soft clink, and glanced towards Serenity. They had informed Pluto and the Queen of their adventure upon return. Though at first upset, Serenity later thanked them for the action, as it had saved Neptune's life.

"It's a common object, really. It's nature is to suck up the life of anything around it--Don't worry, it's not working any more." She touched the orb gently with one finger, and it flared brightly.

"When activated, it is dark, sucking in all light around it. It collects the energy of the planet it is on--but it must be in contact with the surface of that planet. The closer to the soul of the planet, the better. This is why it worked so quickly on Kaiohsei--the depths of it's ocean allowed the orb to become quiet close with it's soul. Closer than the other planets would allow."

Pausing to catch her breath, Mercury continued. "All it does, is collect energy. Where it stores it or sends it, I cannot tell. It does appear to have released the energy when Uranus grabbed it, thus restoring Neptune to her normal self. Why this happened, I'm not sure. All I can think is that it is a crude device that must remain in contact with the planet to work, and must stay in contact at all times or it will lose it's energy."

Frowning, Mercury prodded the orb, which flared bright white, then died. "I haven't been able to turn it on. The most I've been able to do is get it to flare. I believe there is a unique way to set it off. Or, it simply dies after some time."

Finished, she sat down, allowing the other senshi to peer at the orb. Uranus looked tense, staring at the object, that had nearly killed Neptune, with death in her eyes. Pluto was more serene, regarding the orb with curiosity. Serenity looked concerned.

"How do we know that only Kaiohsei was attacked?" she asked after a small pause.

Mercury's mouth twitched. "Well, I can't be certain, but I think this was a prototype. Mars sensed it's difference when we were on Kaiohsei. None of us have been getting lethargic, and she cannot sense anything else. But... there's no way to know for sure. The best bet we have is to be on our guard, and on the look out for anything unusual happening to us, or our planets."

Serenity nodded. Standing, she walked to the end of the table and touched the orb. It flared red, and Serenity jerked her hand back, startled. Mercury, also, looked startled, and peered at the orb.

"It's never done that..." she stated. Reaching out, she touched the orb again. Nothing happened. A few more prods yielded the same results--nothing.

"I think it's truely dead now," she stated. Sighing a bit in regret, Mercury glanced around the room. "I belive Neptune will be completely better."

Uranus glowered. "She had better be. I cannot believe those savages attacked her planet!" Throwing her fist on the table with a loud thunk, Uranus stood and paced. "We have to do something," she stated sternly.

"We shall," Serenity replied, looking seriously at the three. "I want you three, along with Mars and Jupiter, to visit each planet. Make sure there are no more orbs."

With a nod, the meeting was over.

Neptune sulked. Her arms were crossed, her head was turned, and she stared at the wall angrily as Uranus tried to explain.

"She just doesn't want you to get hurt," she tried, uselessly. Throwing her hands up, Uranus walked to the other side of the bed, only to have Neptune turn away again.

"It's not my fault!"

"But you didn't speak on my behalf, did you?" Neptune asked, her voice frighteningly cool. Uranus shivered a little.

"Well, no..."

"So you're not faultless after all. Didn't you think I might want to go too? Didn't you think to ask me first? It was, after all, _my_ planet that was attacked!"

Uranus just looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry. I really am. I have to go though. We're heading out immediatly. Please don't be mad at me?"

Neptune grumped once more, but it wasn't in her nature to be upset for long. Turning, she gave Uranus a small smile. "Alright. But this is the only time I'm sitting out. Hurry up so you can tell me about it. I'm so tired of being on bed rest."

Surpressing a small grin, Uranus nodded and hurried out.

After an exhausting day of visiting all the Planets under the protection of the Moon Kingdom, the six senshi returned to the Palace with a total of seven new orbs. It had sickened Mars. She sat in a small chair, trying not to lose her lunch. It wasn't just the feeling of uneasyness she felt whenever an orb was near that had upset her. What had gotten to her was seeing that death-ball on the surface of her planet, carefully tucked away in one of the many volcanos. What if they hadn't found it? What would have happened to her? To her planet?

Venus wrapped an arm around her friend, trying to comfort her. It didn't seem to matter how many times Venus said "But we found them, so it's OK," Mars didn't seem to look any better for it.

Serenity exited the room with Mercury in tow. They each held an orb, though Serenity's was red, while Mercuries was black--like the rest they had collected.

"It appears we have them all now. Mercury will keep an eye on them, and has agreed to study them." Nodding, Mercury tucked her orb into a small basket where the others were. Serenity placed hers among them, allowing the blue-haired woman to hold all eight.

Mars and Venus left, Mars needing a little nap and Venus unwilling to leave her alone.

As the senshi split, Pluto remained with Serenity, worry on her face.

_The end of Chapter Nine_

**A.N.** Well, what do you think? Getting a little deeper into the plot, ne? Maybe there'll be another fight soon? (or maybe more fluff, eh? grin) Comment, and then wait to find out!


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